I found this book to be very enjoyable. It was quite predictable but that did not take away from the fact that I liked it. I think the water creatures are a special element and I like the dome/chariot race aspect.
It did feel reminiscent of Hunger Games, but I can imagine it hard not to make comparisons when HG has had a large cultural impact.

Monsters Born and Made follows Koral as she throws herself into a deadly magical competition and dangerous political schemes.

Koral was a passionate main character whose ambition was the main driving force of the plot. The second chance romance was a nice touch, but I would have liked to see more development on all fronts. I felt like Koral's character got lost in the intensity of competition, and as this book was written in first person, it was hard to keep track of the political aspects as a result.

I'd recommend this book to fans of the Hunger Games and These Violent Delights.

Monsters born and Made by Tanvi Berwah is a riveting story that bewitched me from the start. Berwah's intricate storytelling and well-developed characters create a compelling narrative that delves into the complexities of human nature. While the pacing occasionally falters, the thought-provoking themes and moral dilemmas posed by the book make it a such a captivating read that has your heart falter. This was a very thought-provoking read.

Thanks to Tanvi Berwah and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an ARC of this debut novel through Netgalley! It doesn’t affect my review in any way.

Koral of Sollonia is a Hunter of Maristags. And her family of Hunters have always held the official title of capturing such beautiful and deadly creatures for the Glory Race, which is only held every four years. But to unforeseen events, Koral and her older brother Emrik have failed to catch one in time for the 150th event. And in an extremely oppressive, elite society, the odds are always stacked against the poor. So that’s when Koral decides to participate in this year’s race. This book promises an exhilarating story of rallying against oppression and prejudice and what it means to survive despite all setbacks.

This book is set in a dystopian society created based off of South Asian foklore. I liked the author’s fast-paced writing with the little element of romance between Koral and Dorian. I applaud how realistically Monsters Born and Made tackles social injustice against the underclasses and how the hatred and discrimination by people with wealth and privilege can power a government to incur unjust authority. And this is experienced by everyone, especially minority communities around the world and I really like how Tanvi Berwah navigates her writing in this standalone. The best I could give this book would be my current rating of 3 ⭐️ simply because I didn’t enjoy it enough. It was inevitably left to the reader’s interpretation on how they think the story truly concludes, but I believe there should’ve been more to Koral and Stormgold’s end.

Monsters Born and Made is a competition-style dystopian book. It has an enjoyable plot even if, at times, it may seem predictable. But isn't it that way with a lot of these books? Overall, I found it a good read and was pleasantly surprised.

I read this and it felt like I was constantly running, stumbling over my feet to keep up with the action. There was a lot going on all the time, and sometimes I wondered if it was all going to get resolved. I like the premise, everyone loves an underdog.

A fantastic debut from an author to watch!! So many strengths across this book: the world building and setting (post-apocalyptic Hunger Games vibes), an all encompassing competition / race with great pacing and exciting action, warring factions and a main character caught up in the struggle between them, and SEA CREATURES! Loved the author's exploration of caste and relationships--thought it was brilliantly done. Overall, a great addition to the YA fantasy genre from a fabulous new voice.

Unfortunately I DNF'd this only a few chapters in....and it was one of my most anticipated books. It has an interesting premise but the execution was lackluster and overall the story felt really generic.

DNF at ~45%

I think the main character is quite well thought-out and I liked her. I also liked the incorporation of maristags and the caste system for the worldbuilding. I just didn't care about the plot, the other characters or the competition.

This was a really interesting debut with some great aspects and some that for me, needed a bit of development. Firstly, I loved the setting. The world here had a post-apocalyptic vibe, which I appreciated and the social commentary regarding the separation of Landers and Renters was very well done. I also really enjoyed the creatures and the way in which they played an integral part of the plot. My main issues come with the pacing, which at times lagged a bit for me and the characters, who all fell a little bit flat. I applaud Tanvi Berwah for having the guts to finish the novel in the way they did as it definitely leaves the reader hoping for a sequel. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A great concept with okay execution. There are similarities to The Hunger Games (but swapping the caste of participants) and Scorpio Races. I loved both of these books but I only liked Monsters Born and Made which is not to say it’s not a worthwhile read, it really is, I just didn’t click with it as I did others. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an egalley.

In this book, we get to explore a fascinating world where different groups of people have their own unique ways of life. The first group races monsters caught in the sea every four years, while the second group are second-class citizens who have to fight the elements. In between these two groups is a family known as the Hunters, who capture and raise the monsters from the sea. The story centers around the main character, who belongs to this family and sneaks into the big race to get money to help her sick sister. This act of rebellion catches the attention of the rebels, who want to use her against the elite. However, she is conflicted because she believes the rebels are bad, even though she is rebelling against the elite herself, but only for her family. This aspect of the story can be seen as an exploration of the complex nature of rebellion and its motivations.

Despite the interesting premise, some have criticized the book for feeling like a rip-off of The Hunger Games. While the book has its own unique elements, the similarities cannot be ignored. Additionally, some readers may find the main character's self-centeredness frustrating. Her lack of awareness of the potential consequences of her actions can come across as naive or even irresponsible. Furthermore, some may feel that the ex-boyfriend storyline is unnecessary and detracts from the main plot.

However, overall, the book is still a worthwhile read for young adults. The monsters are definitely a highlight, and the exploration of rebellion and its complexities can be thought-provoking. Although it's not a completely original story, it still has its own merits.

I tried really hard to get in to this one. Every time I pick it up, I just struggle with it and put it back down again. I am not a big fan of this one and the characters were really hard to love. I just felt no connection to this book.

This was a decent debut but it left little impression on me. I think some of the character dynamics could have been better developed.

A book that I delved into with glee and came out feeling like I'd really had a chance to get to the heart of the story and experience a great world where Renters struggle with their place under the Landers bootheels and one girl will do anything to save her sister. I found Monsters Born and Made to be a little Scorpio Races mixed with Hunger Games with a lot of twists and turns and action that drove the story forward. Not all monsters are the ones we think we see before us. Some are the people we're taught to respect. And sometimes the grit of one person willing to stand up and say enough will spark a fire. A deadly adventure awaits as Koral and Dorian battle to be crowned Champion of the Glory Race. Koral is fierce and independent, aspects that made her character relatable and able to survive all the wrongs she suffers. I enjoyed this book from page one, and wouldn't mind another book or three set in this world.

Scorpio Races meets the Hunger Games in an intense race with monsters from the sea in a race that could change everything. The themes found in this book's pages are fierce competition, underdog main characters from low-income families, class warfare, revolution, a forbidden love interest from a family of high status, and a young sibling struggling for her life.
Koral is from a family that only goal is to be hunters of the sea for these monsters of the ocean called Maristag. Once captured, they are to be raised and sold to the rich for the Glory race. So we have Landers vs. renters, and renters have never entered a Glory race today. Monsters Born and Made is an intense, bloody story about a race that can change Koral's life if she succeeds and is not killed. Like all tales, her victory may happen, and it maybe is destroyed just as quickly. I am unsure if we get more stories from this author in this tale, but it does end like we could get more.

This was honestly such a good book! I forgot I needed to review it here so it's been like a whileeeee but I liked this one!!! It was lovely!!! The characters were sweet and I thought the world building and whole premise of the plot was just spectacular.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced copy of this book.

While the premise of this book was certainly interesting, I found that the games weren’t the hunger games comparison I was looking for and never quite reached the point of social relevance and commentary HG did. It’s fine book but it lacked some elements that would really make it stand out amongst Game-fantasy YAs.

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC. I tried multiple times to read this but could not get into the plot or the pacing of the story. Abandoned around 5%. This is a fantasy story about Koral and her brother Emrik who have to capture the maristags living in the surrounding waters around their island. She is racing against other contenders for the Glory Race which is a chariot tournament. It was an intersting premise but ultimately I could not find myself engaged in the characters or the setting.